older, maybe
by hisuigreen
Summary: This time around, they're both a little better at it. DaaDaaDaa redux edition, ignores sequel.
1. Chapter 1

He's never really thought too much about it, but he has done a lot of stupid (and responsible) things in an incredibly short amount of time. There are occasions he thinks his hair will go grey from just the memory of it all, unable to handle the sudden poofs and bangs and floating and crying. He's sixteen now, ready to enter his second year of high school, and he feels like he's 40 or 50 or something, and already seen his kid off into the world. It's a stage of his life, he knows, and a short one, but here in this temple with just his oyaji lying around dregs up a sense of loneliness he hasn't felt in years.

Miyu had left not long after Ruu and Wanya did after all. He hasn't thought about, hasn't wanted to think about it, but it kind of hurts, even though he knew that everything was temporary. And if he can't sleep properly, well, it's just that he hasn't adjusted properly, that's all. He's still top of his class, still able to cook and clean and sew and... why is he even thinking about this again?

It's not like he's been abandoned. He's gotten letters, emails, and even phone calls from her and video chats Ruu on a semi-regular basis through the transmitter he had been given for his birthday two years ago. He's still got his friends too, still as strange and interesting, but somehow, somehow even Hanakomachi's machinations don't manage to make the days more entertaining.

* * *

"Saionji-kun!" he hears for the millionth time, but turns to look anyway. Immediately a crowd of second year girls surrounds him, and he hasn't the faintest clue what is going on. Some of the second years are glaring at the first years, who are clearly heading to the orientation ceremony that everyone else will attend later, after homeroom. He glances over at the new first years, and a good percent of them seem to be just staring at him, though in awe over him or his popularity, he doesn't know.

One of the girls whom he had met last year, Kamiya, grabs his arm and leads him to his class (2-A, he finds out) confidently, though he knows that she's still, like everyone else, trying to avoid Hanakomachi's wrath. The scariest thing about the entire scenario is that he's less creeped out by the fact that everyone knows what class he'll be in before he does, than the fact that her arm doesn't feel right. He has a sudden running flashback of all the times Miyu has grabbed him out of fright and sighs, shaking off the thought and the girl with a gentle tug and a "sorry, I have to get to class now" before he sprints toward homeroom.

* * *

She's no longer in America. The fact astounds him to silence, and he reads the email again, just be entirely sure. Her parents have apparently allowed her to instead live by herself and attend a school in Tokyo of her choice, which should be surprising, and yet, he knows how irresponsible her parents are, so it isn't.

But Miyu is responsible, more than he ever gave her credit for, and if she didn't know how to cook and clean, she wouldn't bother, but a feeling that he can't describe bubbles up anyway and it takes him a few good minutes to realise that it feels like betrayal. And it's a beyond ridiculous notion, because he doesn't, shouldn't really have a say in what she does. And she's going to need to go to a good high school to go to a good college, and she's going to do great and amazing things that she can't quite do out in the suburbs or countryside and... damn. He kind of wants to chase her now. It's just an idea, but an idea that has him fidgeting every dinner for a full three weeks.

* * *

Oyaji brings it up first. "So Miyu-chan's not in America anymore," he comments in that knowing voice he knows Kanata hates.

"Yeah," he says, and stuffs his face with rice because he's not sure how long his ability to use chopsticks is going to last with his shaky fingers.

"I hear she's doing really well. Transferred into one of the top schools in Tokyo."

He doesn't even respond to that one, because he has nothing to say, but nods in understanding.

"I hear she's become really beautiful too." Kanata knows she's always been pretty, but hearing his oyaji say it is just one step too strange.

"Oyaji, what's your point?" he senses that this conversation is not going to end unless he is a willing participant.

A sad smile passes over his father's face, and he almost regrets saying anything at all. "Kanata, it is okay to be selfish sometimes. I know I have."

He barely refrains from snorting. When he first got that phone call, he could have punched through a wall.

"Again, Oyaji, what's your point?"

"Go to Tokyo." Kanata stiffens. "It's okay; I'll manage here alone."

He can't say anything, not even because he doesn't want to, but because his mind has gone completely blank.

"Kanata?"

"I'm not going, Oyaji," he says, and gulps down the rest of his meal to promptly leave.

* * *

He should really go. He's thinking this a full week after that first conversation, and his oyaji hasn't even brought it up again, because they both know how much he's been thinking about it. Well, today is the today his old man has won-he has finally looked up the school that she's attending. It's large and grand and normal at the same time, he decides. Because on one hand, all the pictures bleed outright pretentiousness, and on the other, it has the feel of manga normalcy, like most schools send a third of their kids to Tōdai. And the males wear gakurans. Gakurans. He wants to scoff at himself for even considering attending, but somehow, he knows he'll end up there.

It's like it's (she's) calling him or something.

* * *

A week later, he's still resisting the idea, but after a nap on Monday afternoon, he decides, to hell with it. He'll study for the transfer exam.

He tells his father over dinner.

"Good," he says, as if he wasn't the one that launched his son through all the turmoil. After a sip of miso soup, he adds, "I hope you get along with Miyu this time."

"We got along fine last time," he manages to say with a straight face. And he's no longer thirteen; he knows how to deal with girls. His mind brings up the unnecessary image of what he assumes is his fan club. Kind of.

His oyaji just says, "Indeed," with an expression that frankly pisses Kanata off.

But he doesn't say anything, and his father switches the subject to something else that he can barely follow, and Kanata resigns himself to absent uh-huh's and yeah's.

At the end of the meal, he reminds himself to express his gratitude despite his ire and actually does. "Thanks Oyaji." He pauses. "I'll visit."

"I'll be waiting."

"Ah," he says, because they both know he'll come back when he's ready.

* * *

He makes it into the school. Not that he ever really had a doubt or anything, but it had been the most effort he had put into anything for a while now. He doesn't tell her about it though because he's just not ready to admit that he's picking up and moving for a girl, for anyone. He wants to tell himself that he's being an idiot, but this is possibly the smartest decision he has made in years, and he 'll see her in two days.


	2. Chapter 2

Her apartment complex is huge.

A million other thoughts are racing through his mind as he's standing there, but that one dominates, and he just stands there, bags and all, wondering if he should go through with seeing her before he even moves into the temple that his father's friend runs in Azabujuban. But he's not about to lie to himself, so he makes a little prayer, and pushes the button for her apartment number.

"Yes?" he hears her voice clear through the speakers and he wonders whether his brain has filtered the usual excess sound, or nice apartment buildings just have really nice communication systems.

"It's me," he says, and he feels like an idiot. "Kanata," he adds just in case, already half-way regretting his actions.

"Kanata?" she repeats in a tone he can't quite pinpoint. At this point, he can feel his heart racing more than he would ever like to admit. There is a pause and then he hears, "I'm coming right down."

Her voice sounds kind of cheery, but he can't be sure, so he's just standing there waiting and hoping that three years is not too long, and fourteen years old is not too young. The security guard is giving him this curious look that he's doing his best to ignore, but at least, he thinks, he's not particularly suspicious.

There is the sound of footsteps not long later, and soon he is face to face with the focal point of his thoughts for the last three years. He doesn't know what to say, and he's pretty sure she doesn't know what to say either, by the way she's looking at him.

She's gotten taller, something which he should have expected. But thanks to his own growth spurt, he's almost 180cm, and she is only a little taller than his shoulders. Her once long blonde hair has been cut shoulder length, though the bangs have remained, albeit swept to the side. Her warm eyes are even greener than he has remembered them, which is just ridiculous, and she's dressed in pink plaid shorts and a plain white t-shirt. He smiles upon seeing her outfit, because at least some things don't change.

"Long time no see," he finally manages to say.

A rush of emotions seems to fly by on her face, but she doesn't flush or even move. "Kanata," she says again, before falling into silence. And then she smiles, and he wonders how he could have lived without that expression for three years.

She finally moves toward him, and he's not sure how to react, so he just stands there with what he's sure is a stupidly silly expression on his face. Then she hugs him, and he can feel her soft warmth so easily, and despite a momentary startled freeze, he manages to wrap his arms around her and for a good ten or twenty seconds, his life is perfect.

Easily the best surprise of his life ends abruptly as she releases him, and he's loathe to let her go, but reluctantly does, letting his hands fall to his sides just inches away from hers.

"Sorry," she blushes and explains, "just kind of became used to hugging in America and..."

"Don't," he says. "I was happy," and he can just feel the heat on his cheeks. Great, it's like he's thirteen all over again.

She just smiles and says, "You should come up," before walking away from him, apparently expecting him to follow.

* * *

"Your apartment is huge," he says upon being given the full tour. In addition to the overall spaciousness, ceiling to floor windows line an entire wall of the living room, allowing the weak evening light to reflect upon the polished wooden floor, and ornate looking lamps hang everywhere.

"My apartment has good security," she corrects him. "How else would my parents let me stay here by myself?"

He raises an eyebrow. "Your parents?"

She doesn't even flush. "Okay, fine, how else would _I_ bother living on my own?"

Her common sense is still the same as usual, he thinks with more than a little relief, and he just settles onto the floor with an "ah" as a reply, leaning back against the couch and nursing the drink that she offered him earlier. His bags are in the corner, and he's trying to forget about them, because there's just something so strange about bringing them here in the first place, even if visiting her had been his first priority.

"So, how long are you staying?" she asks him, face in her hands, half lying on the new-looking polished wooden table in front of them. Her drink lies centimetres in front of her, but she has yet to touch it.

"I transferred," he says, still unsure how to tell her that he had basically followed her here.

"Where?"

"To your school," he says, and she knocks over her cup accidentally in surprise. He expects the water to spill everywhere, but thanks to Miu's reflexes, it is quickly contained and cleaned up in less than a minute. Towel still in hand, she meets his eyes and begins to open her mouth.

He's pretty sure she's going to ask why next, the answer to which he's rehearsed about a hundred times in his head.

"Oh," she says instead and he sees a familiar red flush on her cheeks that gives him so much hope it should be illegal.

"Yeah," he says unintelligently, and he can feel his own face warm to exactly match the colour on hers.

He thinks they are done with all the questions, when she suddenly blurts out "Are you serious?" and he's not sure how to respond.

"You left Oji-san at the temple?" she asks incredulously when he doesn't say anything.

He can feel his irritation prick up at the words. "I didn't leave him. He told me to go."

"And you just did?" she asks, as if this is something extremely out of character. Which he supposes, is, but he's not about to admit that she has this much effect on him.

"Why are you saying it like I did something wrong?"

"I'm not-"

"I know I'm a terrible son for leaving my father-"

She immediately softens. "You're a good son," she asserts.

"Then why aren't you accepting the fact that I'm here?!" he exclaims.

"Because you never said anything! You never told me anything! You've never even ever done anything like this!" she almost screams at him, and now he's just angry. Maybe he shouldn't have come here first.

"So it's my fault that we haven't seen each other for years?!"

"After we confessed, you didn't say anything! You didn't do anything! I might have well just imagined it!" she yells at him.

"I responded to everything!" he replies indignantly. "What more could you have wanted?!"

She just deflates then, and he's not quite sure what he's done wrong, but he's positive he's done something, but he's too terrified to touch her. "Miyu..."

"I just feel like I'm more invested in this than you are," she says, smoothing the towel out on her lap, and he can see the tears in her eyes.

"That's not-" he tries to interrupt.

"I always send you letters first. Always email first. Always call first, except for on my birthday. You never video call me or send me pictures either. It's not like I expect you to go around saying 'I love you' or anything, but I need a little more than "yeah, I'm doing fine" as a response," she blurts out. There is a brief silence before she mumbles,"Maybe we're just not going to work out."

At those words, his entire body freezes, and before he can even think, his mouth is saying, "You're being an idiot."

She's basically crying now, and while they both know he's weak to these sort of things, it's far more genuine than he would like to admit, though he still hears the biting response of, "that's reassuring" clearly.

At this point, he's screwing his pride and just taking the honest route. "I missed you, okay?!" he exclaims loudly.

She's looking at him with those huge sad green eyes of hers like she doesn't believe him, and that, more than anything grates at him.

"It's like I've become a zombie or something. Nothing's really fun or interesting anymore, and I can't stand anyone except for you and the guys to touch me. Which is stupid right? But even Hanakomachi doesn't scare me anymore. Oyaji sent me here because I was too stubborn to come after you myself, and I just..." he doesn't really know how to end this long confession, but he feels more tired than embarrassed, and he finds himself just staring at her, because he doesn't have the energy to do much else, not after a day of traveling.

"Kanata," she says softly, and it feels like it's been ages since anyone but his father has said just his name, and on her voice it's somehow beautiful. He's obviously becoming delusional to get to the point where he's willing to admit this.

She's approaching his side of the table, and he's too tired to move and tells her so. "I understand," she says with a gentle smile, "but I think we should get you to bed." Then she basically hoists him up, and he wonders whether she was always this strong, and she half-guides, half-drags him to her bedroom despite his claim to the couch.

"We'll talk in the morning," is all he hears before his consciousness fades completely.

He awakens in a huge bed that is not his own, and certainly doesn't look like it belongs in any temple in any time period. It takes him a full minute to realise that this is Miyu's bed that he is resting in, and she's not in it.

His steps to the living room are quiet, but once he gets there, he finds the couch empty and remembers with more than a tinge of embarrassment that she has a guest bedroom. He wonders how strange it would be to check in on her (watch her sleep), but ultimately decides against it, deciding instead to make breakfast instead after changing his clothes with a set in his bags.

So another hour later, after breakfast has been made and all the dishes washed, and she's still not up, he sighs and makes his way over to the guest bedroom again. He knocks twice, though his knowledge of her sleeping habits tells him he's going to do have to do this manually if he doesn't want to scream at her. They're no longer at a temple in the countryside after all, and he somehow doubts that these walls are entirely soundproof. Quietly, he opens the door and makes his way over to her bedside, kneeling on the floor and just watching her sleep for a few long moments before shaking her gently, and then more roughly as she fails to respond.

"Miyu," he says. On his third try, she stirs and rolls over and grabs his sleeve. He's all content to just watch and keep shaking, but a few moments later she yanks his sleeve toward her, the unexpected action catapulting his upper half almost on top of her, though he manages to catch himself by the elbows on the mattress. He lets out a long sigh of relief with his catch until she chooses this moment to wake up, long and thick blonde lashes fluttering at him before reality sinks in for both of them, and she backs up toward the wall behind her, face red, as he throws himself back toward the floor. This cannot go well, he thinks, blush barely fading from his cheeks.

Before she can say anything to him (yell at him), he tells her, "I made breakfast," and escapes out the door back to the kitchen. He can still feel his heart pounding five minutes later as she showers and gets ready, and he can only marvel at the quick 180 his life has made.

Another ten minutes later, Miyu emerges, hair still wet from the shower, dressed in nice-ish looking blouse and a skirt, and his heart, which had managed to slow down just moments earlier, resumes a quicker pace. This girl is clearly going to be the death of him, and yet, he's comfortable, back loosened as he sits at a low table taking small gulps a cup of tea.

"Tea?" he pours another cup and stands to offer it out, and she takes his offer, taking the steaming mug into her two hands and walking back toward the table he had been sitting at and sitting down.

After a few quiet sips, she says, "Sorry about that."

He raises an eyebrow in surprise, having expected to have to defend himself. She catches his reaction and blushes, "I know I can be hard to wake sometimes."

He can't resist teasing her. "Only sometimes?"

"Oh shut up," she replies good-naturedly, before asking, "What's for breakfast?"

"Miso soup, fish, vegetables, and rice," he says, and she claps her hands in delight.

"I haven't had someone make me a Japanese breakfast in a while," she remarks absently. As if she's anticipating his smirk, she adds, "Haven't cooked one either, Kanata."

He's not entirely too surprised, but he's glad they're settling into a rhythm, even if this is really bizarre because it's like they're living together again, when they obviously aren't, even if he forgot to phone Oyaji's friend to tell him he would be by later today.

Halfway through the meal though, she brings up last night's conversation. "I thought about what you said," she says.

He's pretty sure he's said enough to disqualify himself from being indifferent in any way whatsoever, so he just sits there and stares at her in expectation.

"I still need you to communicate more."

Any confidence that he had before falters at her words, and he wonders why he never bothered to respond to her emails with more than-

"Look, I think I can understand you pretty well in person, and you can understand me, but you suck at expressing yourself through other means," she tells him bluntly, and he can't even bother to deny it.

"But I still like you," the admission comes out of nowhere, but at this point it feels like his only defence. He takes consolation in the fact that even though she's heard these words from him before, she still blushes.

"I get it," she says. "But I still think you should have video called me at least once."

"No," he says before thinking.

"Why?" she demands, and he gets this odd feeling that all the things he does that don't make sense all have to do with the blonde that sits in front of him.

He takes a quick breath before looking her directly in the eyes. "I can't stand looking at you and not being there."

She's looking at him like she's never quite seen him before when they both hear a loud hiss and crash, and suddenly they're both staring at what he's pretty sure is an escape pod from a space shuttle.

But this time, instead of a baby, there is a blond little boy in it, and he's holding out what appears to be some sort of mini-projector with an adorable smile that he can barely trust.

"R-uu?" they stutter out in unison.

* * *

A/N: And now our cast is here. A warning for the following chapters: since the original series didn't even attempt realism, this fic is also not going to to showcase the most realistic of lives (event-wise).

Also, just in case anyone asks, yes, they had to fight eventually. I quite like the fact that they're not a bickering couple and generally seem to be on the same wavelength, but there was no way that after not seeing each for that long, everything would be perfect.

As much as I'm trying on the fluff end of this, I also want to depict their relationship with some depth, especially since they're one of the few couples that has really stuck with me despite the general lack of on-screen romantic development.

But I will be completely honest with you and admit that I despise this chapter. Cheers!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: And here I thought that this fandom was dead. Thank you so much for the support everyone. It's really given me the confidence to try writing for smaller, more unusual fandoms.

I'm also finding that writing in 3rd person present tense is **hard**. Trying to not get the tenses all over the place while keeping the flow. Also note that since this is a slice-of-life series, the chapter splitting is at times arbitrary.

The chapters will likely get shorter after this though. The length was kind of necessary to clear the air. I also fail at writing drama, so if you cringe as much I as I did writing (and re-reading) the parent scene, I apologize in advance.

* * *

The entire situation has a freakish sense of de ja vu, and he and Miyu exchange glances before she nods, and he approaches the shuttle.

"Ruu?" he asks to confirm, and the little boy's grin just grows a little wider and he can feel his heart soften despite himself.

"Hi Kaa-san, Tou-san," the little boy says before levitating himself out of the carrier and onto the ground.

"You should know by now that we're not your real parents, Ruu-kun," Miyu says kindly as Kanata can only stare. "You're old enough now."

"I call my other parents Mama and Papa. So you're Kaa-san and Tou-san," the little boy says plainly, stubbornly. "You're not going to hug me hello?" He sees Miyu immediately soften and say, "come here," and Ruu runs into her arms, and she returns the embrace and lifts him onto her hip.

"Oof, you've gotten heavier," she remarks.

Ruu just smiles like the kid he is and Kanata sees his face turn in his direction. "Tou-san?"

"Yeah?" The fact that he's responded to the title has pretty much sealed his fate.

"Hug!" and he knows Ruu is pretty much just messing with him, because the kid can obviously speak full sentences, but he lets himself be baited and hugs them both for a few seconds before taking Ruu out of Miyu's hands, studiously ignoring the blush on Miyu's face.

"So are you going to tell us what you're doing here?" He says to break the silence, because Miyu isn't saying much at all.

"Well, Mama and Papa," Ruu begins, before realising what he holds in a death grip,"gave you this!"

Miyu takes the metal tube from Ruu's hands, since he's still holding him. "What does this..." she pushes a button and a screen pops up in front of them.

"Miyu-san, Kanata-san," he hears, and he automatically straightens his posture, though it's a little difficult with Ruu still in his arms.

"Yes?" Miyu asks.

"Ruu-kun missed you two a lot," the mother says, and Kanata still cannot get over how much the mother looks like Miyu, especially now that the latter is older and taller. He glances over to the father's face and finds a somber expression, which makes him raise an eyebrow.

"So you're just giving him to us?" Kanata says with an expression of disbelief.

"Well, we both are very busy, and-"

"And what, you're dumping your child-rearing responsibilities on us?" Kanata exclaims. "Kanata!" he hears Miyu say, but he's already irritated.

"It's only for a few years," the mother says.

"A few-wait, I don't even live here!" He pauses. "And what happened to Wanya?"

"Sitter-pets are generally used for younger children," the mother replies softly, as if she's doing something difficult, as if she isn't just giving away her own son.

"We refuse," Kanata says, ignoring Miyu's protests and Ruu's hurt expression. "This is ridiculous."

"Please," the father speaks for the first time, "please just watch over him for us."

Then the video just cuts, and they are left with a spaceship and a kid. Again.

"Kanata, we need to talk," Miyu says firmly, taking Ruu out of his arms. She then sets him on the floor and whispers something in his ears before the kid goes scampering off into the guest room.

"Fine," he relents after he hears the door shut, and they're sitting down on the couch, facing one another.

"I know you're upset, but don't say stuff like that!" she whispers harshly. "Especially not in front of Ruu!"

"What was I supposed to say, yeah, let's take care of a kid while we attend school and study for college entrance exams?!" he whispers back indignantly. "And it wouldn't even be we! I don't live here, remember?"

She goes silent for a few long seconds, and he thinks he said something really wrong, so he shuffles back through his words in a rush. "You could just stay here," he thinks he hears. He must be imagining this.

But he looks at her expression, serious despite the flush that he can see on her ears, and he knows he's heard correctly. "You've got to be joking," he says despite himself.

"Well, you brought your bags and everything, didn't you?!"

"Yeah, because I wanted to see you first!"

She goes quiet again for a long few seconds. "Look, Kanata, we're going to have to take care of Ruu somehow; it's not like we can just abandon him."

He's about to say something else, but she interrupts him. "I know the fact that his parents seem irresponsible bothers you-it bothers me as well, but I think there's another reason behind it."

"Like what?"

She looks like she's contemplating something. "Just say it clearly," he says, "it's not like we're strangers."

She's still fiddling with her hands, just like she used to, and he's equally irritated and amused, because on one hand, it's kind of adorable, and on the other, he still has no clue what she's trying to say. "I think Ruu is attached to us. Emotionally," she says, right before he's about to goad her on again.

"You think, well, of course he is! We took care of him when he was a baby!"

Her voice goes even quieter, and he has to lean in to hear her words properly. "I mean, really attached. You remember what he said when he came here?" She repeats the words, even though he full well can recall them on his own. "We're his other parents. As in, he's attached to us as if we were his parents."

It hits him like a rock. "Well, shit," he can't help but curse and earn a disapproving "Kanata!" in response. He fills in the probable missing pieces. "He wouldn't open up to any of his human or alien babysitters and asked for us, probably 'cause his parents were working more often as he got older." The somber expression on the father's face makes sudden sense now, and he feels a little guilty. Miyu is really good at this emotional thing after all, especially since...

"You were alone most of the time growing up," he says, rather than asks.

She looks away, and he knows he's hit the nail on the head. "I just don't want Ruu to end up like me, you know?" she says quietly.

Before he can stop himself, he moves over on the couch and spreads an arm over her curled form. "Yeah, I get it. I'll get Ruu so we can talk about this the three of us, because apparently he's smart enough to get himself here already."

She cracks a tiny smile, and he lets his hand linger on hers for a few extra seconds before going over to the guest room door.

"Ruu, you can come out now," he says, but he doesn't hear anything. "Ruu?" He opens the door, and Ruu is sitting on Miyu's unmade bed dejectedly. He freezes for a moment before going over to sit by the child, suddenly struck by the fact that he's basically become a father (again). "Look, Ruu, I'm sorry. I sometimes say things without thinking, and I haven't worked out everything with Miyu yet, so I was feeling a little on edge," he says truthfully, because kids have an uncanny ability to determine truth from lies.

"So?"

Kanata sighs. "You'll be staying with us and you can call me Tou-san if you want."

"Us?" Of course that's the only thing this kid catches.

"I'll be staying here, apparently."

"Tou-san!" he hears before Ruu hugs him. The hug feels like warmth and family, and he lets himself enjoy it because he hasn't felt this happy in years, if he's being completely honest.

"Let's go see Miyu, okay?"

"Okay!" and the kid is skipping happily in front of him. He half-way aware that he's kind of been hood-winked, but at this point, he's not going to bother to care.

"So Ruu, you're going to stay in my guest room, and hopefully you brought some clothes to wear..." she keeps on talking but Kanata is only half-listening.

Bedroom arrangements. He'd completely forgotten about that. But wait, if Ruu's taking the guest bedroom then... great. He can feel his face turning completely red.

"Kanata?" He feels a cool hand on his forehead. "Are you okay?" And he opens his eyes to her face, centimetres in front of him.

"Uh, yeah," he manages. He'll have to talk to her about that later. Maybe he'll just sleep on the floor on a futon or something in her room. Or on the couch. Would that be strange?

"So we're probably going to have to enroll Ruu in daycare," he hears.

"Daycare?" he repeats.

"Yeah," Miyu gives him a strange look. "We obviously can't be here all day, and Wanya isn't here, so he's going to have to go somewhere. He might be old enough for kindergarten now..."

She turns to Ruu. "How old are you now?"

"Almost four!" he says proudly, and Kanata can't help but feel old.

"Daycare's probably better then, huh," she muses out loud. "I guess the three of us will have to go around looking for a good one tomorrow, before school, in plain clothes."

"In plain clothes?"

"Are you sure you're okay?" she asks him with just the amount of concern that he knows she's going to pronounce him sick if he doesn't do something.

"Ah, ha, yeah. I'm fine. You're just going to have to catch me up a little," he says, scratching the back of his neck.

"We're going to have to pretend that we're an older couple in our twenties to enroll the kid without adult permission, you know."

"Don't they check identification and stuff?" he asks skeptically.

She looks troubled, but not put off. "Yeah, I know they do, but we're going to have to manage it somehow."

Kanata's gaze starts wandering and he realises with a start that Ruu is no longer sitting between them. "Wait, where did Ruu go?"

"Huh?" she looks down as well and immediately scans the room before relaxing. "Oh, he's rummaging through his spaceship." After a pause, she adds, "we're going to have to stash that in a closet somewhere if it doesn't come with a shrinking function."

Kanata just nods his agreement and they both wait for Ruu to come back to them.

"Look!" the kid floats back to them in excitement. He's holding papers. Lots of papers, and a few cards, and there's a note on the top of the stack.

 _I thought you two might need these,_ reads the note, and they can only assume that it had come from Ruu's parents.

The most attention grabbing bit of the pile are easily freakishly legal-looking identification cards that put Miyu at twenty four and himself at twenty five (which is kind of funny considering that she's the older one), and he vaguely wonders how in the world they had managed to get their aged faces before skimming through the rest of the paperwork. Ruu also has his own set of legitimate (looking) paperwork, and his last name has become Saionji. It occurs to him that Miyu might have the same last name, and he's about go back to her card when Miyu peers over his shoulder.

"It looks like everything is there," she says, heels hitting the floor again as she pads over back to Ruu.

"I can't believe they managed to forge everything," he says in amazement.

Miyu just laughs. "Somehow I'm not surprised."

"Yeah, at least this time it's planned," he agrees. "I'll photocopy this later so we can go to a daycare tomorrow."

"Yeah," is Miyu's absent reply as she strokes Ruu's hair, now sitting on the couch. "I was just thinking that we're really like family now," she says.

He pauses. "Yeah, it seems like it huh." It strikes him that they're technically breaking the law and everything, but he supposes everything will be alright. Considering all the crazy stuff they got away with back in middle school, this should be a piece of cake, especially since now that Ruu is old enough to know better.

After organising the papers in a pile on the counter so he doesn't forget, he hesitates for a split second before joining them on the couch.

"So, are we married?" Miyu suddenly asked, and he almost chokes on his own breath, which causes Ruu to laugh at him.

"What?" He's not about to admit that he's wondered this himself.

"Well, I'm sure they'll ask, and you suck at making things up on the spot."

"You mean I suck at lying."

Miyu raises an eyebrow. "Out of the kindness of my heart, I'll ignore the fact that you just implied that I'm a good liar." When she sees him about to reply, she adds, "And don't you dare say it's because I'm a girl."

"Do you think we should be?" There, he's tossed the question back at her.

She's frustratingly calm about it. "It'd be for the better. And it's not like to we need to turn in a marriage certificate or anything." She pauses. "Wait, what's my last name on the ID?"

"Let me check," he says, pinching the cards at the top of the stack. _Saionji Miyu_ , her ID reads, and he's about to read it to her out loud when she gasps in surprise, bumping Ruu closer to him. "Oh, I completely forgot!" she jumps up and runs to her bedroom before he can ask anything.

When Ruu looks at him questioningly, he just tells him, "Your mom is crazy, Ruu."

She returns a few seconds later, cellphone in hand, furiously pushing the buttons.

"Wh-"

"I have to tell my landlord about you somehow," she tells him.

He immediately shuts up and just listens and tells Ruu, who's tugging on his sleeve, to do the same.

"Um, hi, Watanabe-san?"

"Yes, it's me, Kozuki."

"Yes, I..."

"I'm doing well thank you, it's nice of you to ask. How are you doing?"

"Oh, I'm glad to hear that."

"I was calling about the possibility of me having a roommate."

"Ah yes, well, my bo-husband just moved back in with me."

"We've been together for a while, but..."

"Well, we do have a kid..."

"Ah hahaha, we had him while I was in school," Miyu says with only the slightest bit of awkwardness, and Kanata thanks the gods that the landlady doesn't seem to know that Miyu is still in high school, probably because it's only been a month, and he knows she doesn't wear her uniform unless she absolutely has to.

"Uh huh, well yes, he's a well-behaved child," she shoots Ruu a look to make sure the boy is paying attention.

"Oh, well, thank you! We'll be sure to drop by!" she says, and then hangs up.

"Well?" he asks.

"She says that as long as the volume is fine and she gets to see Ruu and you, everything is fine," she lets out a sigh of relief, "thank the gods for kind landladies."

His mind flashes back to his entrance. "What about the security guard?"

Miyu is startled for a moment, but then relaxes. "Tanaka-san? I think he's only seen me in my uniform a couple of times." She pauses, thinking. "I think I can pass it off as a modelling thing or something because I don't use the school bag."

"Why am I not surprised," he says with a half-smirk.

"It's not like shopping is a crime. Plus I look good in the stuff I buy, don't I Ruu?" she spins around, causing her skirt to fan out around her.

"Yeah!" Ruu claps with genuine enthusiasm and Kanata has to agree. Miyu has always been the kind of person that looks good in basically everything.

She stops twirling and turns back to him. "So you'll have the papers ready for us by tomorrow morning right?" He nods absently before she drags Ruu off for a mini-lecture about her apartment and guidelines for his behaviour around other people, smiling when she adds the obvious, "and no powers, young man." Kanata can't help but agree with the extra emphasis though; there is a huge difference between his hometown and Tokyo, and he doesn't want anyone to end up on the news.

The rest of the day goes by in a blink of an eye, and soon Miyu has already bathed Ruu and put him to sleep in the gues-his bedroom and is in the middle of her own bath. He's sitting on the couch, sipping tea again and wondering whether he should go to her bedroom first, before deciding that it's technically not even his bed to sleep in so he should just wait. Today had been long, but enjoyable, he supposes.

After going grocery shopping with Miyu and Ruu, he had called up his oyaji's friend earlier to inform him of his new living arrangements, and the reply of "oh it's not a problem, your father said that this was likely going to happen," had surprisingly only made him feel slightly irritated. Even the photo-coyping, which by all intents and purposes should have been an exercise of tedium had proven useful, as he had found out that apparently yes, he could pass for twenty five when the store's assistant had asked him what he had done for a living, and whether he had had a girlfriend.

He glances down at his bare finger. He supposes the marriage's not all that convincing without the ring, but their ID's are proof enough and he and Miyu had decided it would be a pain to put them on and takeoff between school and anywhere else, so they had cut that option. It's kind of a modern thing, he convinces himself, to be without a ring.

"Kanata?" he hears, and she's in front of him, hair wet and dressed only in a towel, and he feels his cheeks go red despite himself. She seems to notice his reaction but just laughs and tells him, "the bath's open."

Is it bad, he wonders, that somehow she's calm and he's just blushing all the time? America had done something to her, for sure, but he supposes that he's always been weak to Miyu. Weak to girls in general, but weak to Miyu especially. He's still wondering how this sleeping arrangement is going to work, but he's gone through all of his options three times each before the end of his bath and hasn't decided on a single one.

He realises suddenly as he exits the bath that the room still smells faintly of her, of soap or shampoo or something, which he knows is ridiculous because she still uses the same unscented products to keep the bugs away.

By the time he gets to her (their?) bedroom, he's dressed in a pajama shirt and pants, and she's in a matching shorts and shirt combo with yellow and blue stars. He's strangely relieved to see that she hasn't switched to wearing a nightie or something oddly feminine because... well, he's not going to ever be able to explain this properly, but Miyu is Miyu, and lingerie is just kind of unnecessary. Not that she would wear it for him or anything in the first place.

"Coming in," he says before sliding the door open. She's not even on the bed, he realises immediately, but sitting on a plushy chair in far corner of the room, across from the bed, reading, with her legs curled up underneath her. The moonlight shines through the huge ceiling to floor window that most of the rooms in her apartment (all of them facing outward toward the city anyway) seem to have, and dances across the crown of her bowed blonde head, turning it an unearthly platinum.

She does look up from her book once he's entered though, addressing him with an absent "Kanata," before placing the book on her lap and turning to look through the window beside her.

"What's up?" he asks, walking toward the window.

"It wasn't just the security, you know," she says, and he doesn't really get it. "The view of the night sky, the stars on really clear nights, that's what this apartment does for me." She sighs, almost wistfully. "Everything's just a little bit closer then, you know?"

He's struck by her admission, and he feels more than just a little insensitive because Miyu does care about him, has always cared about him, and Ruu, and had even chosen her apartment based on those feelings, and yet, he hadn't noticed that their separation had hit her this hard, somewhere beyond a hug and a good cry and a "that's alright" will ever fix. They're very different people in that respect. Miyu is all empathy and sympathy, and he's stiffer and more logical, but he has to admit that she's far more perceptive than he is, can form and nurture bonds better than he ever could, even if her abilities leave her vulnerable to the same loneliness that he's learned to harden himself to, at least before she had come along. This is one of those times that he thinks that he's probably the soft one, 'cause he can't seem to face things head on like she can, can't run straight ahead (into danger) without a map.

They both stare out the window for a few more minutes in a comfortable contemplative silence before he moves to sit on the bed and pats the area beside him. "Come here," he says, and she moves to sit next to him.

She doesn't even hesitate before leaning in toward him, head resting on his shoulder like it's found its new home. His own hand shakes a bit, because he kind of wants to touch her hair, but it settles at her waist instead and pulls her into him. She smells, well, she smells like Miyu, albeit a little damp, and he's not entirely sure what that smells like, and the only thing missing in this moment is maybe, just maybe, the slightest bit of incense, a bit more of home to cling to even though Miyu is more than enough.

"Hand me a towel?" his voice is a little hoarse for no reason whatsoever, but she catches his drift and gets up to hand him the one that had been draped on the back of her armchair. She returns to sitting in front of him, in the centre of the bed this time as he softly towels her hair dry.

"It's pretty, you know," he breaks the silence after a few minutes.

"What?"

"Your hair," he manages to get out. "You cut it." Which is probably the most stupid thing he could ever say because that much is obvious. "I don't think you mentioned that before," he adds.

"I got it cut a month or two ago," she confirms. "Kind of wanted a change before I started here in Tokyo." She pauses. "And thanks," she adds, and he can see the tips of her ears go pink.

"So we're parents again, huh."

She turns to look up him and smiles. "Yeah, I guess. Doesn't seem as strange this time around though, if that makes any sense."

"It does," he assures her. "Somehow we just fit."

She bobs her head in agreement, and he's about to catch a serious case of the fluffies (he's feeling almost inhumanly happy), when she says, "you haven't changed Kanata."

He feels a little defensive now, because it's not like he can say the same for her. "Well, sorry."

"No," she says, "it's comfortable. Like home," she turns completely around to hug him, burying her face in his chest and he's fairly sure her hair is dry enough now so he puts down the towel to return the embrace. "You smell like incense, you know."

"My home is a temple."

"It's a good smell," she says, "like Japan."

He just snorts, but hugs her a little tighter. "I've taken a bath."

"I know," she sing-songs, "but that's just what you smell like to me."

A comfortable silence goes by again before she asks, "Should I go see Aya-chan and them?"

"It's your choice," he says, even though he's full well that she knows this.

"I think we should go see them."

"That might be dangerous."

"Chris-chan?"

"Still as scary as ever, that girl."

"Well, she'll have to get over you eventually. You're mine now." This is probably the most possessive he has ever seen her, but he can understand. The trust is there, built from hours upon hours of parenting, but Hanakomachi is actually a threat to their lives which they're going to have to eventually resolve.

"Yeah, yeah," he says, 'cause it's not like he's ever gotten along with any girl (anyone) this well except for Miyu. Even with Akira, the fit just wasn't quite right, like two squares instead of two actual puzzle pieces.

She then just lands a kiss on his cheek, and he's left there sitting on the bed, frozen, as she climbs into bed properly. "'Night," she says, and he swears that within minutes she's actually asleep, because he's pretty sure he's figured out when she's real or fake sleeping by now.

When he finally unfreezes, he realises that they never really discussed the bed thing, but since he's already sitting on it, he might as well just get in it. It's not like it isn't big enough for the both of them.

So he climbs in next to Miyu, careful to leave what he think is an appropriate amount of space and pulls the covers over them both and closes his eyes.

* * *

A/N: No Wanya, sorry. He served a more practical purpose in the series, and now that Ruu (and Miyu and Kanata) are older, they can handle things without him. Hopefully. That and there was just no way I was going to be able to work the whole disguise/stuffed animal thing in Tokyo. We will of course see OC's to take up his empty space though.

Fluff ahead. Finally.


End file.
